joining us our political panel byron york, rick klein and bob cusack. byron, stalemate? that is almost sugarcoats where we are. >> for the time being this is a crazy situation. >> no! are you kidding! >> this is nuts. the president can win on raising tax rates for the highest earner, earners that's what he campaigned on time after time and the republicans would cave on this they could make agreement. and everybody could go home for christmas. the president asked for more and more to make it unacceptable to republicans. on the issue that he campaigned on, making everybody pay their fair share, he could win now. >> greta: rick? >> so much of this is going to plan also why people hate washington. it is playing out the way you have to expect it would. when they are talking now, they are not negotiating either publicly or privately. they are throwing things out to try and assuage their respective bases to get them to the point where they know they have to get to. a month by washington standards is eons of time for them to figure this out. they are not going to serious for a c